Home-field advantage? At the majors, players may experience the opposite

HOYLAKE, England — You don’t want the betting lines to know Tommy Fleetwood is likely one of the Open Championship favorites.

On Wednesday, you wanted just a few minutes alongside the rope line.

“Tommy!” the followers, among the many largest galleries for any participant, hollered at him, determined for an autograph.

On a handful of events, he obliged them, however there was a barely extra essential job to do between the ropes, the place he and Tyrrell Hatton have been enjoying a follow spherical collectively. The gang didn’t appear to comprehend.

“Tommy, please!”

Fleetwood was born in Southport, one other seaside golf city only a quick drive north of this week’s festivities. Although that technically makes one other Open Championship host (Royal Birkdale) his true house course, neither he nor the individuals of Royal Liverpool appear to thoughts calling this one a house sport for Tommy boy.

“Yeah, I’ve imagined it about one million instances most likely,” Fleetwood, his eyes extensive, mentioned Wednesday from the press room at Royal Liverpool. “Profitable the Open is a large, big dream. Irrespective of the place that’s, that’s at all times one thing I’ve visualized and at all times thought of. Having the chance to do it so near the place you grew up is one thing that’s very distinctive and really particular.”

Fleetwood is simply the most recent hometown hero to search out himself within the middle of the foremost championship highlight. Logic tells us he enters the week with a home-field benefit at Royal Liverpool, the place he and his caddie, Ian Finnis, are each pretty common gamers. The issue is that within the final a number of years, a handful of golfers have confronted an identical set of circumstances, and practically all have confronted catastrophe within the days that adopted.

It’s exhausting to say what it’s about enjoying a so-called “house sport” that appears to have an inverse impact on golfers. Maybe a few of it’s the strain that comes with crowds and pleasure. Maybe a few of it’s internally-applied expectations.

Rory McIlroy appeared to point it was a bit of little bit of each within the aftermath of his notorious missed reduce at Royal Portrush in 2019, the place he fired 18 pictures worse than his course-record rating in an opening-round 79, resulting in a soul-crushing missed reduce.

“It’s been an eye-opener for me,” McIlroy said then. “Typically you’re so distant and also you neglect about all of the individuals which might be cheering you on again house. And then you definitely come and play in entrance of them, it undoubtedly hit me like a ton of bricks immediately.”

Identical went for Los Angeles native Max Homa after his missed the reduce on the U.S. Open in his hometown simply final month.

“Extremely disappointing spherical,” Homa posted on Instagram. “That one damage loads.”

Fleetwood himself has been a sufferer of the burden of expectation earlier than. He performed in entrance deeply supportive crowds as an ascending star at Royal Liverpool in 2014 and Royal Birkdale in 2017, the place he completed T27.

“Arriving on the Open was unusual,” he said in ’17. “Birkdale was the primary Open I had been to as a 7 12 months outdated, and now I used to be the face of it.”

He finds himself once more the face of the motion at Hoylake this week, the place each the strain and the eye are excessive. However Fleetwood isn’t dreading these feelings — this time, he’s embracing them.

“I believe when it’s an occasion that’s so near house, clearly it comes with its personal psychological challenges, with your personal expectations, and with everyone else’s,” he mentioned. “However it will be foolish and daft to have a look at or attempt to discover unfavorable components to do with that. It’s an incredible feeling enjoying in entrance of a lot assist and having that, and I believe it’s very particular.”

It helps too that Fleetwood isn’t the one hometown favourite this week. Matthew Jordan, a member at Royal Liverpool, earned his manner into the sector by way of Open Championship qualifying. He can have a voluble flock among the many Hoylake trustworthy, maybe even as loud as Fleetwood’s.

If course information have been the one consider deciding a event champion, Jordan can be the runaway favourite. However as each he and Fleetwood nicely know, the one benefit that issues as soon as the balls are within the air is pictures taken.

“Being at your own home course, it doesn’t at all times comply with,” Fleetwood mentioned. “You recognize the course nicely, however that doesn’t imply masses.”

The remaining, as they are saying, is all noise.

James Colgan

Golf.com Editor

James Colgan is a information and options editor at GOLF, writing tales for the web site and journal. He manages the Scorching Mic, GOLF’s media vertical, and makes use of his on-camera expertise throughout the model’s platforms. Previous to becoming a member of GOLF, James graduated from Syracuse College, throughout which era he was a caddie scholarship recipient (and astute looper) on Lengthy Island, the place he’s from. He may be reached at james.colgan@golf.com.